Chapter 56: Extortion in Endless Darkness

"Detective Fujino, you helped us vent our frustration this time."

Shimazaki Yuji watched Anzai Mamoru leave like a beaten dog, his eyes still burning with a trace of anger.

Withdrawing his gaze, he sighed, "That's the first time I've ever seen that guy so humiliated."

"Thank you so much!"

Mame-tune Taeko also came over and gave Fujino a polite bow. "If Yuji had lost his temper with that guy, I don't even know how messy things could've gotten."

"It's nothing."

Fujino waved his hand casually. "I've been sick of that guy for a while now anyway."

Then he turned his gaze toward the couple and asked curiously, "By the way, I heard you two are getting married next month. Is that true?"

"That's right. The wedding's next month."

Both of them nodded in unison, their faces showing a bit of shyness.

"Well then, congratulations in advance on your marriage."

Fujino chuckled lightly. "But Shimazaki-san, you're about to be the head of a household. Next time, don't let yourself lose your temper so easily. Violence isn't going to help against that kind of scum."

As he spoke, he gave a meaningful glance at Mame-tsune Taeko.

After some polite conversation, the film crew headed to a nearby ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) close to the shrine.

Of course, not everyone went.

Take that Nachi Shingo for example—he complained that the ryokan was too shabby and instead ran off to stay at Teitan Hotel.

"This place is shabby?"

Fujino couldn't help but feel a little confused.

The ryokan near the shrine wasn't a massive establishment, but it was still one of the better hotels in the area.

If this wasn't good enough, then that guy sure acted like he was a big shot.

Even Yoko Okino didn't complain—but he threw a fit first.

For someone like him… in a crime-ridden city like Beika, it was probably only a matter of time before he ended up dead.

—

After changing into a yukata, the group checked into the ryokan.

In the large tatami room of the ryokan—

Fujino, wearing a black yukata, sat cross-legged on the floor, holding a glass of juice while observing the lively group around him.

It wasn't that he didn't want to drink—he just felt that drinking alcohol here, in front of these people, might not look good.

Having a few drinks now and then with Kogoro Mouri for the sake of neighborhood relations was one thing.

But in this kind of setting, if anything embarrassing happened, it could easily become a scandal.

"By the way, Yuji-san, you're not drinking?"

Fujino glanced around and then casually asked Shimazaki Yuji, who was sitting beside him.

"Well, I'm the assistant director, so I'm responsible for the site's safety and operations. If I get drunk, it wouldn't exactly be very professional."

Shimazaki scratched his head sheepishly.

"I see…"

"Anzai, where the hell are you going?"

At that moment, the director's voice rang out sharply.

Fujino looked up and saw Anzai Mamoru with his hands in his pockets, walking away alone.

Not long after, Mame-tune Taeko also said she had something to take care of and left.

Watching the two of them walk off, Fujino frowned slightly, a glimmer of suspicion flashing in his eyes.

Then, slowly, he stood up and quietly followed behind them.

—

Night fell. In front of the shrine's stone steps—

"Did you bring the money?"

Anzai Mamoru stood with his hands stuffed in his pockets, standing before the shrine, wearing a wicked smirk as he stared at Mame-tune Taeko.

"No."

Taeko's tone was firm. "From now on, I'm not giving you a single yen!"

"Heh, you think you can just forget everything and act like nothing happened?"

Glaring at Taeko, Anzai sneered, "Don't forget—you were part of the reason Sugiyama offed himself. You're an accomplice!"

"If this gets exposed, do you think you can still marry that loser next month?"

"I suggest you hand over the money obediently… or better yet—how about paying me with your body?"

As he spoke, Anzai stepped forward slowly, grinning maliciously. "A married woman, huh? I've never tasted one before…"

"Shut up!"

Desperate, Taeko suddenly pulled a fruit knife from her pocket and pointed it directly at him.

"If you don't want to die, don't ever appear in front of me again!"

"You bitch! You dare threaten me?!"

All the anger Anzai had been holding back during the day exploded.

With a roar, he lunged at Taeko, trying to pin her to the ground.

Bang!

In the blink of an eye, a figure appeared out of nowhere.

With a blur of movement, a wooden sword struck directly at Anzai's abdomen.

With a cry of agony, Anzai staggered back several steps, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Who's there?!"

He stared, wide-eyed, at the figure standing before him, half-hidden by the shadows of the night.

"Fujino. Detective."

Fujino lifted his wooden sword, pointing it straight at Anzai.

"Anzai Mamoru, what you were just doing—if I call the police now, you're easily looking at an attempted rape charge."

"Mind your own damn business!"

Anzai glared at Fujino in stunned silence for a moment before forcing a smirk.

"Go ahead—call the police! I'll just say I was defending myself!"

"Is that so?"

Fujino's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Maybe you didn't realize—my phone comes with a recording function. Everything you just said, threatening Miss Taeko, trying to assault her—I've got it all on tape."

"The victim, fearing for her safety, pulled out a defensive weapon in response to your escalating threats—sounds like legitimate self-defense to me."

"Whereas you? Attempted extortion, followed by attempted sexual assault. I wonder how that's going to look when this goes to the prosecutors."

"Damn you! Give me that phone!"

Veins popped on Anzai's face as he clenched his fists and charged toward Fujino, determined to snatch the phone away.

"Lost your temper already?"

Even before the words finished leaving Fujino's lips, he moved.

The wooden sword came down again—

Bang!

With another dull thud, Anzai collapsed to the ground like a pile of garbage, completely unconscious.

Dealing with tougher opponents might've taken some effort.

But this kind of street punk?

If Fujino couldn't knock him out in one hit, it would've been an insult to his 350% enhanced strength.

"Detective Fujino… why are you here?"

At that moment, the shocked Taeko finally came to her senses. The fruit knife in her hand clattered to the ground, her eyes full of disbelief.

"I was just planning to come out here for a bit of sword practice… didn't expect to run into this."

Fujino's tone turned more serious. "But if I'm not mistaken, that bastard's been blackmailing you, hasn't he?"

"And judging from his tone just now… this isn't the first time."

Hearing this, Taeko collapsed weakly to the ground, finally opening up about everything that had happened.

—

Back in her high school days, she had fallen in with a gang of delinquents.

And Anzai Mamoru was one of them.

As part of that group, she'd helped them steal valuable items from her own family's shrine.

In the end, overwhelmed with guilt, the warehouse manager committed suicide.

After that, she left that life behind and tried to live like a normal person.

But recently, Anzai Mamoru had come back into her life—using the manager's death as leverage, threatening her over and over again in a nightmare of blackmail.

Now, with her wedding to Shimazaki Yuji only a month away, she couldn't take it anymore.

That's why she'd brought the knife tonight, intending to use it to finally scare Anzai off…

(End of Chapter)